Creative Hospital Billing.

[MountainDon]

We received a statement from the insurance carrier about my recent mandible surgery. The blood sucking leaches simply sent a statement that asks me to send them $2550.   Here's my first draft of my response to them



I received a billing statement from Presbyterian Healthcare Services in the amount of $2550.00.  There is no explanation.  I am totally confused and astounded by this.  When someone from your company telephoned me in advance of the procedure I was told that everything had been approved and I would be responsible for only the copay of $350.00. I paid that right away with them on the telephone.

I don't understand your math. When I look at the statement here's what I see...
The statement has a line saying that the previous amount due was  39,519.48  
The new charges line has zero for an entry.                          0.00
Then there's a line that says, New Payments/Credits             -39,869.48

When I do that math I get a difference of $350, with you receiving more money than what was due.  It would seem you owe me the $350 I originally paid you.  I do not see how the account can have a balance owed of $2550?  This seems to have popped out of thin air.  Or is this some kind of new math that I never learned when I went to school decades ago?  If so, I'd like to know where I can go learn how to make money out of thin air too, as it's hard enough for me to make money when doing actual work for people.


Sigh.........

[JavaMan]

If you learn how to do that, you should let us all know.  I know I could use a way to make money without actual work 

I've seen a few of those kind of bills in the past.  Thankfully, when I've called the managed to straighten things out pretty quickly.  I hope you get similar results!

[JRR]

Have you noticed how many folks it takes to issue those complicated/non-believeable statements.  There are floors of people in hospitals who do nothing but....

When as a child, my mother carried me to the doctor .... there was the doctor and a nurse, that was it!  There was no large parking lot.  You made an appointment ... and you were served at that time ... exactly!  You could make other plans because you knew the doctor would show as planned.  I'm still alive.

[JavaMan]

Have you noticed how many folks it takes to issue those complicated/non-believeable statements.  There are floors of people in hospitals who do nothing but....

When as a child, my mother carried me to the doctor .... there was the doctor and a nurse, that was it!  There was no large parking lot.  You made an appointment ... and you were served at that time ... exactly!  You could make other plans because you knew the doctor would show as planned.  I'm still alive.

Even more amazing - when I was a kid, the doctor came to us!  At least sometimes.  It wasn't until I was a teen that house calls went the way of the dodo.  And by golly, we had insurance that was something like we pay 20% of the bill ... and it was apparently affordable, too!  Of course, we didn't go for every little sniffle, but we managed to live through it 

[ScottA]

Sounds about like every dealing I've ever had with a hospital Don. I think they put your name on random bill generator list and hope you pay it. I've been billed for stuff I never recived and by doctors who never saw me. In most cases I got the bills fixed but it happens to much to be an accident every time.

[peternap]

Sounds about like every dealing I've ever had with a hospital Don. I think they put your name on random bill generator list and hope you pay it. I've been billed for stuff I never recived and by doctors who never saw me. In most cases I got the bills fixed but it happens to much to be an accident every time.

I'm surprised it wasn't more

[bayview]

   How about $12 for a box of tissues?     

   My dad was charged for some post-natal care once . . .   He always checked his bill.  It was always padded with something.

/

[MountainDon]

Well, this all worked out okay. I have a recorded voicemail explaining they made some kind of a mistake and the account balance is now zero She said that a couple of times.

As well, in between my letter and the call to me I received another statement saying the total bill was $81K and that I owed them $41K.       That was another error on their part according to the lady on the voicemail. 

What a way to run a business.

[ScottA]

I'd send them a bill for accounting services. $181k would about cover it.

[Native_NM]

Sounds about like every dealing I've ever had with a hospital Don. I think they put your name on random bill generator list and hope you pay it. I've been billed for stuff I never recived and by doctors who never saw me. In most cases I got the bills fixed but it happens to much to be an accident every time.

Story from my auditing days here: 

A guy in CA printed some invoices with the name of a florist.  He would send invoices to homes in Beverly Hills and other affluent areas.  He timed them with articles he read in the paper - weddings, deaths, etc.  They were small - $50 or so.  All it said was "Please Pay".  No description of services or anything else.  They usually were paid.  When the scam was uncovered, the police had nothing to charge him with.  He asked for payment, and they paid.  Since there was no service rendered, he claimed it was a gift, and was non-taxable.  The tax man could not even touch him.  He scammed them for years, and allegedly made off with a few hundred thousand dollars.  If you believe the story,  he sent a few out every day for years.

When I have some time I am going to research this and see if it really happened or was just a BS from my accounting prof.   This was a long time ago.   Maybe he left CA and was hired by BC/BS of NM.  I get invoices all the time that say "Please Pay This Amount".   Hmmm....